


into the past life

by littlelooneyluna



Category: robron
Genre: M/M, back at it again lmao, teen!Seb, these should just be called: the one where he discovers ...
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-26
Updated: 2019-03-26
Packaged: 2019-12-18 12:07:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18249527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlelooneyluna/pseuds/littlelooneyluna
Summary: Seb finds out that Aaron was charged with shooting Robert once upon a time





	into the past life

**Author's Note:**

> Here’s another one, it’s been a while, enjoy!

 

 

 

 

For no reason in particular, Chas is deciding to have this massive clear out and somehow she’s roped them into helping. Paddy’s back is done in for some reason and Aaron is way too unnerved to want to find out why so he’s bought Seb along practically kicking and screaming.

“But I was supposed to help dad.” Seb’s a grafter, Aaron’s made him that way but he also much prefers a comfortable chair and a long desk to kick his feet up onto. Aaron’s lost count of the amount of times he’s told him that Robert had to work to get where he was.

He doesn’t mention all the scheming but Seb’s no idiot and the village is a giant gossip pit anyway. 

Aaron’s got him under Chas’ bed, he’s already taller than Aaron is but Aaron’s not bending down there. He pulls slowly and Seb’s head hits the bed, Aaron can’t help but laugh as he watches his gangly seventeen year old struggle with the box. 

“Uh it’s not funny.” Seb rubs a hand across his head as he finally comes up for air, the box covered in dust. 

“Sort of is.”

“Yeah well there was a time where I couldn’t fall over without you fussing over me.” Aaron rolls his eyes, because maybe Aaron’s a protective dad. Just maybe. But Seb’s suddenly this man and it’s so weird and scary and yet he doesn’t know how not to be so proud of who he is.

“He used to _cry_.” Chas is suddenly poking her head around the door and Aaron tells her to shut up. “It’s true. Still gets all teary eyed over Ella.”

Aaron shakes his head and then looks down at the box. “You still want our help then?”

Chas grins, all animated. “You can get the boxes from downstairs.” She says. “Seb, there’s a few more boxes under there.”

“And what am I doing with them exactly?” Seb stands up and has a hand on his hip.

Aaron smirks.

“Alright Robert Sugden.” Chas says, tuts a little and Seb turns bright red and rolls his eyes. “You’re opening them, putting your head inside and seeing if it’s full of junk or not.”

“What’s junk?” 

Aaron smiles. “How about you decide?” He says before getting down the stairs and having a tea thrust towards him by his mum. “What’s with all this spring cleaning then?” He knows her too well.

She shrugs a little and then sighs. “We need a little revamp of the place. We’re getting ...”

“On a bit?”

Chas’s eyes widen. “Bored of the colour scheme!” She throws a tea towel at her son and he starts laughing. He laughs a lot now and she keeps saying how happy she is for him.

Apparently he’s never looked happier. The more he thinks about it, the more he knows she’s right. Him and Robert are in a really good place. The sort of place where you don’t need to think about if you’re happy because you just are.

He’s still laughing when Seb comes back into the room because Chas has pulled out a picture of him when he was Seb’s age and he looks a _state_.

“God, Seb look at your dad here, he’s —“ 

Only Seb has his head down. He’s holding what looks like a newspaper and Aaron just frowns at him, instantly stops laughing because he can see Seb’s shoulders tensing up.

“Seb?”

Seb keeps his head right down and then he looks up slowly at his dad. “What’s this?” He whispers. Only it’s almost not a question in the slightest. His face turns bright red against it.

“What’s ... what?” Aaron’s mind overthinks everything suddenly, flickers through whatever it could possibly be and he feels his throat grow dry as Seb holds the newspaper up further.

“Says ‘Ex lover charged with ...’” Seb gulps and Aaron can _hear_ it from where he’s sitting. His eyes suddenly start flickering like mad and this pit in his stomach grows. Seb bites his lip the way Aaron does when he’s trying not to cry. “Dad? You ... you shot my dad?”

At first Aaron turns deaf around it and so does Chas. He can suddenly remember the sound, Robert falling down and him over his body and quietly begging him not to die. He remembers crying over him.

Then he remembers prison.

He remembers _hating_ him.

He hasn’t gone there for so long. He hasn’t needed to. 

“No.” Aaron says, lame and stupid and not enough to stop Seb waving the newspaper around. “Seb, come on, don’t be —“

“Don’t be _what_? I’m not Annie or Ella, you can’t fob me off with some stupid story and I’ll believe every word you say.” Seb’s voice betrays him. It wavers. He’s staring at Aaron and seeing that he’s getting emotional but he doesn’t want that. He wants the truth. “Did you?”

“Love, think about what you’re saying.” Chas says, her voice hesitant as she stands slowly and approaches Seb. “Hey?”

Seb just pulls a face. “I’ve not just pulled this out my arse.”

“ _Seb_.” Chas warns.

“No.” Seb snaps. “Charged. They don’t — they don’t charge people who ... who have _nothing_ to do with ... with ...”

Aaron comes towards his son and frowns. “You really think I could hurt your dad hey? Of course I couldn’t.” He whispers. “Seb, you know that.” He says desperately, his tone is ragged and scratches his throat slightly.

Seb looks a little stunned, his eyes are so green and they’re all Aaron can see until he closes his eyes and then opens them again. “Do I?” He says, he steps backwards a little and Aaron feels his heart drop.

“Seb.” Aaron leans closer and Seb runs out the door as soon as Aaron goes to touch him. The door slams and Aaron catches his breath, he feels his mum’s arm across his shoulder.

“Mum, I don’t — I don’t know —“

“Go after him love.” Chas says quickly. “You can’t have him think the worst.”

And it’s not everyday the worst is finding out your dad shot your other dad once upon a time.

 

—

 

Ella’s helping Robert cook when Seb comes thundering through the house and for a second he nearly bottles it. He nearly caves but Robert turns and just almost knows to ask Ella to go play upstairs.

“What’s happened?” He asks. He asks in vain because two seconds later Seb is practically forcing the newspaper in his father’s hands.

He just stares down at it and his mouth instantly goes dry. He can’t think for a while and then he can and it all revolves around the idea that he’s fucking devastated that Seb even knows about this.

He remembers Seb laying on his chest when he was little, his tiny fingers dancing close to the scar on his father’s chest. He remembers him asking him about it once, he said he’d been fighting a superhero.

“Where did you get this?” The thought of Seb searching through archives for some weird reason and stumbling across this is enough to make his stomach churn.

“Nan had some box.” Seb pulls a face. “It was in there.”

And of course Chas is that weird mother then.

Robert shudders. “Seb.”

“It’s true isn’t it?” Seb’s got tears in his eyes. They fall so suddenly and Robert goes to touch him when the door goes and Aaron stands there. For a second Robert just looks helplessly at his husband, he tries to stop from panicking, from feeling like somehow this is all his doing.

“Isn’t it?” Seb shouts louder, he wants Aaron to hear. He wants them both to just fucking listen to him.

Robert frowns. “Seb, of course it isn’t true.”

Seb blinks quickly. “You wouldn’t even tell me if it was.” He says, he casts a look towards Aaron. “You’ve been prison.” He says.

They’d told him when he was younger, because they couldn’t do to Disneyland. Seb was great with it, he said he was sorry like it was his doing and Aaron just squeezed him hard and they ended up in Disneyland Paris instead.

Aaron nods slowly. “I have yeah.” He says. “You know that.”

“For this?” Seb whispers. He looks down at the paper again, hands trembling. “Just _tell_ me.”

“We have.” Robert says suddenly. “It wasn’t your dad. He’d _never_ do that.” He says passionately. It’s been a while since he’s had to be. It’s been _years_ since he’s had to defend their relationship, his husband in general really. It’s usually the other way around.

Seb shakes his head. “Then why did ...”

“Because I had the gun.” Aaron blurts out suddenly. 

Robert’s eyes widen and so suddenly he wants this all to stop. He sees himself flat out against that cold pavement and stunned into unconsciousness. He wants to throw up. “No.” He says.

“Why?” Seb seems to be calming down. He tilts his head and wipes at his face which is sticky from his tears. “Why would you have the _gun_ that nearly killed —“

“Enough.” Robert swipes the tea towel off his shoulder and it shakes Seb a little. “No more. That’s enough.”

“How can it be?” Seb says, he has a heavy frown on his face and he doesn’t understand any of this. “I’ve just found out that my dad was _shot_. I deserve to ...”

Robert suddenly climbs out of his own head and shudders. “Yeah _me_. It happened to me. And I don’t want my son knowing _anything_ about that, or the person I was then.”

Aaron watches his husband start to crumble around it, start to raise his voice and crack and he comes towards him. “Robert ...” he tries to hover a hand across Robert’s but Seb pushes through with his demands.

“Why does _that_ mean? That you deserved it? What did you _do_?” Seb keeps going on, he’s seventeen and curious about things in life and he’s just developed his own moral high ground on most things so this isn’t helping.

All Robert can see is Seb standing there hating him, just hating him for the way he hurt Aaron back then, the Dingles, _Andy_. The list was endless. It was endless in a way that was almost inescapable, in a way that will only ever hurt Seb if he knows.

“Do you think he deserved it too?” Seb looks at Aaron and Robert flinches. It’s hardly something they talk about, how much Aaron thinks Robert deserved to get shot doesn’t crop up as pillow talk surprisingly.

Aaron keeps his mouth parted, eyes wide, he somehow can’t speak. Robert looks up and blows out a breath, shakes his head.

“What part of enough don’t you get?” He shouts and Seb staggers back a little. He’s a tall lad, he’s got stupidly soft locks of blond hair and the brightest eyes and a sharp jaw and yet he looks like a little boy as he stands there with his chin wobbling.

“Understood.” He says before climbing the stairs.

 

—

 

Aaron watches Robert move back towards the sink, washing the plates throughly and not saying a word until he calls out for Ella to come back downstairs.

“Robert, you can’t ignore this.” Aaron says, closes in and doesn’t let Robert try and spin his way out of anything.

“I don’t want him knowing anything.” Robert says, he’s in his own world, battling with so many demons and Aaron can’t get through to him. “So back me up.”

Aaron frowns harshly. “What? Let him think _I_ shot you?”

“It’s not the wildest accusation considering how much you hated me back then.” Robert hisses, and then he slams at a pot and watches Aaron’s eyes flicker.

It’s awful, it’s all this _shit_ coming up from the woodworks after years and years of not even thinking about it.

Robert’s got a few grey hairs now. Aaron’s back ache comes and goes.

They don’t talk about that time, that _year_. They just don’t.

Aaron’s stunned into silence; he gulps hard and then wills himself to say something but Ella’s asking him to tie her apron on and Robert has his dad voice on and genuinely acts like nothing has happened at all.

He’s forced to confront it a few hours later though. He calls Seb down for tea and he comes slowly, head dipped, eyes dark and a bag over his shoulder.

Robert doesn’t see him at first but then he does and he gulps hard. “Seb ...” He says slowly and Seb shakes his head.

“I’m staying at uncle Cain’s.”

“No.” Robert says suddenly. “No you’re not. You’re going upstairs and unpacking that bag.” 

Aaron comes through to the kitchen and his face falls as he sees Seb standing there. He’s got his baggy hoodie on and jeans and he looks like he’s trying not to get emotional. “Seb, come on.”

Seb moves back silently. “Don’t tell me what to do.” His voice is so different, it’s so dark and sad and Aaron hates it all. “Not when all you do is _lie_.” 

Robert’s eyes widen as he watches Seb walking towards the door. It’s instinct to go after him, grab at his arm and shudder. “I’m sorry, okay. I’m sorry for not telling you but ...”

“Telling him what?” Jacob peels his eyes away from his phone and frowns. Aaron feels something kick in his chest and he can’t bare the thought of Jacob finding out too.

“Nothing.” Robert says and Seb just scoffs.

“It’s just so easy.” Seb whispers and Robert hasn’t felt like for so long, this sense of unworthiness manages to spread through him and he needs Aaron to take over. He’s thankful when he does.

“You have no idea what he went though Seb, it was — we both were in a bad place then but it doesn’t mean anything now.”

Seb frowns. “Only it does. It just happens to be another secret. There’s _so_ many secrets.”

Robert closes his eyes around it. 

“Where’s Seb going?” Annie frowns, stops eating and the last thing either of them need is her becoming worried about this. Aaron throws her an easy smile and Robert shakes his head. 

“No one’s going anywhere.” 

“I am.” Seb says. “You can’t stop me.” He says defiantly.

Robert bites his lip and he’s suddenly overwhelmed with how much he never wanted this to happen. He sees a little boy, his little boy, he just loves him. “We love you.” He blurts out. “Please, don’t —“

Seb looks like he’s breaking, he pulls this face and Aaron’s eyes flicker a little.

“Come on, just listen —“ 

Only Seb doesn’t want to listen to anymore of their lies, that’s the whole issue isn’t it? He aches against it a little and he can only run out the door as fast as he can.

 

—

 

Robert’s slower than usual when he’s doing the kids lunch boxes the next morning. He nearly butters both sides of the bread and Ella elbows him out the way, rolls up her sleeves and does it herself.

“Thanks.” Robert settles a hand against Ella’s hair and then backs into Aaron who’s standing with the washing basket and a scowl on his face. “Don’t give me that look.” He says.

Only Aaron just scowls even more. “Cain text, he’s shipped him off to school. If you’re interested.”

Ella finishes up and starts running up the stairs to get her sister. It gives Robert the time to reply.

“Of course I’m interested.” Robert says and then his chin gets wobbling and Aaron softens around him instantly. “You think I want him hating me?”

Aaron sighs. “We know what will fix that.” He says and Robert looks away suddenly.

“I’m not telling him anything about it.”

Aaron sighs. “I don’t know what else we can do then. Because he just needs to know the truth and then —”

Robert yanks his head up and lets the tears swim in his eyes a little. “He finds out that I was _hated_ , that I had about billion people wanting me dead. I can’t Aaron.”

Aaron leans forward, “We’re taking them to school and then we’re going round there and waiting for him to get back yeah?”

Robert looks away.

“We’re doing this together. Rob, we owe him the truth.”

 

—

 

Cain’s there when they arrive. He’s got a scowl on his face and wants to know why Seb’s been eating all the cereal.

“So he didn’t ... didn’t say anything to you?” Robert asks, and Cain pulls a face. He goes to speak when Chas comes flying in.

“I saw your car.” Chas says slowly. “I just wanted to say …”

“Who keeps that sort of stuff?” Aaron scowls. “It’s hardly a certificate is it? It’s me being _charged_ with trying to kill my husband.”

“Wasn’t your husband then.” Chas says nervously. “Listen, I’m so sorry.” She says after Robert gives her a look. “I just kept it when you were inside and I missed ya.”

Cain suddenly interjects, clearly gets what’s happened. “So Seb’s found out?” Aaron nods eventually and then rubs a hand across his face. “He thinks you did it?”

Aaron’s mouth twitches. “I’ve told him I haven’t but ...”

“But I don’t want him knowing _anything_.” Robert says quickly. “I just want him to ...”

The sound of the door opening is enough to get their attention and Seb stands there with his eyes wide. He’s got a hoodie thrown over his school shirt and he freezes as he sees his dads.

Robert can’t help but smile for a second because it’s only been a night but he’s missed him.

“What are you doing here?” Seb blurts out.

“Could ask you the same question.” Robert says. “It’s only just gone eleven. You should be in school.”

Seb eyes dart a little. “Forgot my kit.”

“It’s not Thursday.” Aaron says, and Seb sighs hard at how well his dad knows him. “But if you’re here, we can ...”

“I’ll leave you to it.” Cain goes to get up but Seb comes towards him. He stands tall and his jaw tightens.

“Did you remember it happening?” Seb blurts out.

Cain looks across at Aaron and then nods. “It was a long time ago.”

“Why does everyone keep saying that? Dad was _shot_.”

Cain clears his throat. “He survived.”

“Don’t sound too happy about it.” Seb snaps. “Was _anyone_.” His voice cracks a little and Robert winces under his son’s pain because it’s about _him_. Seb’s this way because he’s gutted about his dad being shot, about half his family treating it like it didn’t matter.

Seb turns around and looks at Aaron. “Were you?”

Aaron bites his lip. He knows there’s a complexity about that period of his life that he doesn’t want to dwell on. Everything was so uncertain wasn’t it? But wanting Robert to _die_? “Of course I was happy he survived. I loved him.”

“He really did love.” Chas steps forward a little and sighs. “It was all messy back then but that was never in question. Annoyingly.” She says, pulls a face as she talks.

“You’re not helping.” Robert snaps and Cain reaches for his coat. He gets out the door and shoves Chas out too.

They stand in silence until Seb speaks.

“You might as well go too.” Seb says slowly. He looks exactly like Aaron’s dead pan face when he stares at them.

“We can’t leave it like this.” Aaron’s voice wavers slightly. “We want you home.”

“And I want answers.” Seb says. “Honesty. But it’s not like I get any when it comes to you two.”

Robert’s chin wobbles and he finally lets out this sigh he’s been holding in. “I was shot because I was worthless and mean and cruel. Your dad had every right to pull that trigger ...”

“Robert.” Aaron whispers, a hand hovering over Robert’s back as he tries to comfort him.

“But it wasn’t him.”

Seb blinks quickly and his face pales slightly. His mouth twitches as he goes to speak.

“That’s all you need to know.” Robert says. “Okay?”

Seb hardens. “Of course. Because that’s how it goes, you _control_ everything I know.”

Control. He’s controlling. Aaron’s shouting it at him so many years before and it’s apparently something he does without even knowing. He’s back there suddenly, he can’t _escape_ going back there.

“That’s how being a parent works.” Robert snaps.

“Maybe for Ella and Annie. But me and Jake — we’re old enough to know things.”

“You don’t need to know.” Robert cowers slightly.

“Like I didn’t need to know about Lachlan until Belle told me.”

Aaron sighs, intervenes because he doesn’t want this getting ugly. He just wants Seb to come home. “You know that was different mate. We were going to tell you. But this, it’s ...”

“Not worth telling me?”

Robert frowns. “It has _no_ effect on you. It was me who was shot.”

“You you _you_.” Seb says. “Can’t you spare a thought for your _son_ finding out. Thinking that his dad nearly killed his other dad?” He waves a hand out and Robert shrinks against it and bites his lip.

“Darling ...” Aaron whispers, stagers just slightly against what he’s trying to get out.

Seb shakes his head, he’s bright red. “I’m not coming home until I get the truth.”

“The truth?”

Seb looks so serious. He stands tall and nods his head, folds his arms over. “About what happened.”

Robert closes his eyes and sees _Aaron_. Only it isn’t his Aaron, it’s someone who was charged with trying to kill him.

And ‘how could someone who loves me do that?’

And ‘I meant what I said, I hate you and nothing you can do will change that.’

Robert suddenly shakes. “I’m sorry, I can’t —“

He gets towards his car and then leaves the keys on top of it. He walks back instead, overwhelmed by his emotions and the fact that Aaron probably wants to throttle him now too.

It’s the last thing he needs, he doesn’t have it in him.

It’s exactly what he’s thinking when Jacob starts asking questions when he gets in. Aaron’s not said a word to him all day in the portacabin and Robert’s almost been grateful for the silence.

“I want to move with Seb.” Jacob says, his curly hair is pulled across his face and he takes his tie off roughly. He’s no idiot, he gets that something has happened. 

Robert shakes his head. “You can’t. No one ... Seb’s just helping Cain.”

“Pull the other one.” Jacob says.

“Oi. Less of the cheek.” Aaron eventually says, a hand on his hip as Jacob stomps up the stairs. He sighs hard as he looks at his husband and then chucks him his coat. “Right we’re sorting this.”

“Aaron...”

“I’m not losing anymore of our kids because you’re scared.” Aaron snaps. “Scared of _what_ I don’t even know.”

“Him hating me even more for keeping things from him all this time.” Robert whispers, they’ve just pulled up at the farm and he hasn’t said two words since now. He looks devastated.

Aaron unbuckles his sear belt and holds at Robert’s hand. “He’ll understand.”

“That I was a monster back then?” It’s dark now, he thinks about Ella and Annie at Chas’ and wonders how long this will take.

“You weren’t.” Aaron sighs. “You were ...” He can’t find anything to say and it manages to make Robert feel worse.

“You were charged ‘cause you had motive.” Robert bites his lip. “You think I wanted him knowing that ... _that_ thought ever even entered your head.”

“Of course not.” Aaron whispers. “But he needs to know or he’ll resent ya. Us. For keeping it from him.” He says and then he squeezes around Robert’s hand and they manage to interrupt Seb with his head in a book when they get in.

“What you reading?” Robert tries, awkward as anything and Moira gestures towards the living room as she goes and closes the door behind her. Aaron nods against her mouthing something about good luck.

Seb keeps his head down until Robert comes towards him and sits down in front of him. He smiles weakly at his son. “I’m sorry mate.”

“For what?” Seb whispers. “Lying or _lying_ or ...”

“Seb, just hear him out.” Aaron whispers gently and it manages to make Seb put his book down.

“I wasn’t good back then. Nothing was good. I didn’t _ever_ want you to know how I was back then okay? But ... now you do ... I have to accept it.” Robert holds his hands together and Seb frowns slightly.

“Does that mean you’ll tell me everything?” Seb has one leg up on the chair and he tilts his head as Aaron sits down and Robert nods.

“What do you want to know?” Robert says thickly. It’s harder than he thought it would be already.

Seb leans forward and suddenly looks nervous. “Why did you have the gun that shot him?” He looks right at Aaron. “I just ... I need to know.”

Aaron looks up and then waves a hand out. “Seems crazy now obviously but I thought that — that my mum might have done it. She was _there_ when it happened and I panicked, the next thing I knew I had it.” He shrugs at the memory, and then looks towards Seb nervously.

Seb nods a little, plays with his hands.

“That okay?” Aaron whispers and his son seems satisfied. Aaron’s hands grow clammy as he waits for Seb to speak again.

“But you two ... you weren’t getting on when it happened?”

“Not exactly no.” Aaron whispers. Seb knows about them having an affair courtesy of village gossip and he’s never really cared about it. “We were over. They thought they could pin it on the scorned lover I suppose.” He rolls his eyes and sighs.

Seb looks at Robert and sees that he looks like he’s going to be sick. He wonders if he should stop but he has more to find out. “So if it wasn’t him then ... then who was it?”

Robert seriously considers lying but somehow his heart gives in. “It was uh ... it’s complicated.”

“How?” Seb tilts his head a little as he asks. 

Robert gulps. “Andy.” He blurts out, without saying anything else and Seb stares wordlessly at Aaron looking for more. 

“As in ... my uncle who’s not around?”

Aaron nods his head. “He hired ... he didn’t do it himself, he made a deal and Ross did it.”

Robert doesn’t understand the gravity of what that would mean for his son until it slips out of Aaron’s mouth. He freezes around it and remembers the pictures of Ross and Seb and Rebecca. A happy little family.

He hated it.

It manages to send Seb over the edge and he scrapes the chair back loudly and stands. “ _Ross_?” His eyes flicker. “He was ... he was with mum.”

Robert winces slightly and looks towards Aaron before sighing.

“They’re not together anymore.” Robert keeps his head down and whispers. He thinks of the nice normal Tom who she’s with now. It settles something in his chest. 

“No not now. But when I was ... how could you let that happen?” It feels a lot like judgement and Robert hates himself for it, he always has done.

“He wouldn’t have hurt you.” Aaron reasons, bites his lip. “He was a thug but that was it. Nothing more.” He says.

“An attempted murderer maybe.” Seb paces for a second and then pauses. “Does mum know?”

Aaron looks towards Robert who shakes his shoulders. “I honestly don’t know.” He says. “Maybe. He’s gone now though isn’t he? He’s nothing.”

Seb frowns. “Could have killed ya.” He pauses and then gulps. “And Andy ... why would —“

Robert stiffens around the truth and he needs to hold back. He can’t. Aaron seems to agree, he starts talking about them always having a bad relationship and Seb takes it. 

Some things just don’t need to ever be told to Seb.

Seb bites at his lip awkwardly and then looks at Aaron. “Don’t get how Ross is still breathing.” He says and Aaron can’t help but smile. He’s seen Aaron lose his mind over protecting Robert one too many times over the years so it’s a valid point.

“We just wanted it over.” Robert says and then he looks at Aaron. “Anyway, I remember us destroying a _lot_ of weed he had.” He says, half smirks and Aaron laughs.

It releases some tension but Seb still looks deep in thought once he shakes his head at his dads and smiles.

“Still don’t know why you ended up in prison then. If that wasn’t why.” Seb says. He looks at Aaron desperately. “Look I know you _hate_ talking about it, but I just want to ...”

“Beat up some bloke my mate was seeing. Pretty badly. I wasn’t in a good place.” Aaron thinks about the mad hot head he was then, how his mind was _everywhere_ and nowhere at the exact same time. He remembers feeling like he was losing Robert. It’s a foreign one now. “We weren’t good.” He looks at Robert and then down at his wedding ring instinctively. “It wasn’t because I nearly killed him.”

Seb rubs a hand across his face and closes his eyes. “Why didn’t you just tell me?” He whispers. “Everything.”

Aaron cringes against it and pulls a face. “Because we were protecting ya.” He whispers, hands falling over Seb’s as he comes closer towards him. “From the angst of a life you weren’t around to see.”

Robert pokes his head up a little and smiles at Aaron. Sometimes he’s good with those words.

“I thought it would be best.” Robert whispers. “For you. For all of us.” He bites his lip and looks up towards the ceiling. “Because I _love_ you.”

He’s always just wanted to protect Seb. From things so far beyond the boy’s control that it can only be classed as unfair and unjust.

“I love you too.” Seb says and a heaviness leaves the room again. He sniffs a little and then sighs. “Maybe I’ll get it when I have kids.”

Aaron smiles, breathes out shortly through his nose. “Not for a while then.”

“A very very long while.” Robert says. 

“Got it.” Seb waves a hand out and Robert smiles faintly. “You two were uh ... you’ve been through it then.” He puts it mildly. He didn’t realise they had this epic story of angst and tears and sadness and yet have somehow ended up where they are.

Aaron tilts his head. “Could say that yeah.”

“I’m proud.”

Robert didn’t expect that. Seb was angry only an hour ago and now he’s _proud_. Seb makes a point of saying it again, explaining himself.

“Dad I don’t care about who you were then.” Seb blurts out. “Or why Andy did that ...”

“We made up.” Robert scrambles, eyes wet with tears. “I helped him escape when your crazy aunt framed him for shooting Lawrence.” 

Seb takes it in for a second and then he shakes his head. “For anther day maybe.” He mumbles, and then he sighs. 

“You don’t know how much that means though.” Robert says. He’s still emotional, he can’t passed it but he’s shocked at himself for actually speaking about it all. Not bottling it up. “You, proud of me. Us.” He looks lovingly at Aaron.

Seb nods. “You’ve got through everything. Of course I’m proud.”

“So you don’t hate us then?” Aaron says and Seb’s never said that, he’s just not that sort of kid to throw big words out like that over not being able to go to football on a Friday after school. He knows the weight of words. Robert says he’s got it from Aaron.

Seb shakes his head. “Nah. You’re just annoying.”

“Cheers.”

“It’s true.” Seb says, but he sounds lighter. “Suppose parents do keep things from their kids though.” He mumbles. “Sure Cain’s got a few secrets.”

Aaron arches an eyebrow. “Isaac has no idea mate.” He whispers and then smiles as he looks at Seb. “Should we go home, I got a meat feast pizza with your name on it.” 

Seb just stares at him, mouth lifting into a smile and Robert stands.

“Giving you his favourite pizza? He must want you to come home.” Robert smiles a little, sticks a hand in his pocket.

Seb stands with him and smiles. “I missed the chaos anyway.” He goes to get his bag and Robert pounces and brings him into a hug, starts rubbing at Seb’s back and telling him he loves him so much. “Yeah I know, you can let go now.” He chuckles and Robert rubs at his eyes when Seb gets out the door. 

“A success then?” Aaron crosses his arms over and Robert is overwhelmed with love for him suddenly. He kisses his mouth tenderly and then pulls away, strokes Aaron’s face lovingly. “What was that for?”

“He’s right you know, we’ve come so far. We should be proud.” Robert says, smiling a little as he reaches out and touches Aaron’s face again.

Aaron mirrors him and then moves towards the fridge and takes out two cans. He opens his and Robert does the same before he holds it up.

“To us who have somehow earned the right to be ‘proud of themselves’ dads.” Aaron laughs a little and he looks like he’s twenty something again. Robert takes a swig and then kisses Aaron and they only break apart when Cain opens the door and shouts about his cans.

“On that note, come on Seb.” Robert says. “Cheers for putting him up.” He calls as they get to the car and drive home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
